Bafana Bafana at the World Cup Stadium!!!

Dad: Soccer?

Me: Yeah! Why not?!

Dad: Do you even know any of the rules? Which way do they kick the ball?

Me: No, but it will still be fun!

Just before the national anthem

I was so right! The Bafana Bafana FIFA Qualifier Match against Central African Republic was a great time! We all dressed in green and yellow, South Africa's colors, and got excited! After a full day of eating and touring I was ready for even more excitement although I was really tired. My exhaustion disappeared when we finally got there. It was so cool and I had so much adrenaline. As soon as we arrived you could sense the excitement and I think I started walking faster because I was eager to see what was inside. From far away you could hear the people cheering and it was exciting to think we'd be in the stadium where the World Cup game was played in 2010. What was even more exciting is that we had front row tickets! As I made my way down I almost felt bad for having such little knowledge about soccer but taking a front row seat anyway. Everyone had their team spirit showing with face paint, shirts, and temporary tattoos  Even so, we were not the most decked out fans in the stadium. We raced to find team merchandise and although we couldn't find any we got back to our seats just in time for the national anthem. At that point it was clear we were foreigners because we were the only ones not singing but what was really special was how overwhelming it was to be surrounded by over 36,000 people and hearing them  proudly sing their national anthem! I felt really happy to be in South Africa right then!

The crowd goes wild after Bafana Bafana scores the first goal!

As soon as the match began I realized this wasn't like a Uconn sporting event. We had to sit for most of the time because everyone needed to see. The person behind us even said he was going to chain us to our seats if we did not sit down! He was kidding of course! We were all so excited that we couldn't help but want to stand up and cheer.  It was crazy to be in the front row (and the second row for some of the game) and naively I was hoping to catch a soccer ball when it got kicked out. Some other fans almost did a few times but it never came my way. The best part of the game was when Bafana Bafana scored the first goal. The crowd erupted in cheers and flags were waving everywhere. It was really exciting and amazing to see so much support and pride. After being here for a few months it was great to see such spirit. I loved the game and even though I did not know every rule I learned as we went and had fun just cheering! In the end Bafana Bafana won which was even better. Central African Republic did not score a single goal.  Going to the game was so much fun and I can now say I've been to a game at the World Cup Stadium! 

Celebrating a great win!